Fire wall and tank installation



July 13, 1954 G, 1 BRENNAN 2,683,552

FIRE WALL AND TANK INSTALLATION Filed Feb. 18, 1952 2 Sheets-Sheet l J5v v /f lcl- H 26 a INVENToR. 26 v Gerqzdrennan afg.

July 13, 1954 G. L. BRENNAN FIRE WALL AND TANK INSTALLATION 2Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Feb. 18, 1952 IN V EN TOR.

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Patented July 13, 1954 FIRE WALL AND TANK INSTALLATION Gerald L.Brennan, Tulsa, Okla., assigner to Warren Petroleum Corporation, Tulsa,Okla., a corporation of Delaware Application February 18, 1952, SerialNo. 272,040

(Cl. 22o- 88) 8 Claims.

This invention consists in new and useful improvernen ts in a dre Walland tank installation for the storage of inflammable fluids and has forits object to provide a structure which will minimize the fire hazardspresently existing in and around such facilities.

l'n installations such as shipping terminals and storage ots forliquefied petroleum gas and the it is customary to employ batteries oflarge, horizontally disposed storage tanks, arranged in relatively closeproximity and provided with the necessary piping connections forcharging and discharging the fluid to be stored. In a number ofinstances very serious res have occurred because of the failure of ajoint or a section of pipe near a joint beneath one of the tanks in abattery, with Jrhe resulting escape of large volumes of inflammablefluid which, upon ignition, have rapidly enveloped the nearby tanks inflame. These tanks are often of an individual capacity of 30,000 gallonsand when one or more batteries of such tanks are involved, it willreadily be seen that lire hazards can present la serious problem.

The effect of this heat has naturally been to increase the pressure ofthe fluid in the tanks to a point where the metal and seams of the tankswere forced to yield, with the resultant opening up of seams or burstingof tanks. Thus, the escape of more inilammable fluid has added fuel tothe nre to such an extent that in most instances the entire installationhas rapidly suffered serious damage.

lt is, therefore, the primary object of the present invention toincrease the safety of such installations and to provide adequate fireprotection to the metal of the tanks and to this end I have provided are wall which is arranged transversely, across the end of a battery oftanks and through which the tank heads protrude. All of the inlet andoutlet openings and their associated pipings are connected into theseheads and are thus separated from the main bodies of the tanks, wherebyany ignition of escaping uid in and around the piping system is at leasttemporarily conned to an area which is completely segregated from thetanks themselves.

Another object of the invention is to provide a nre wall preferablyprovided with angularly disposed wings at its opposite extremities toform a three-sided enclosure or fire shield for the head ends of abattery of tanks, the bounding edges of the shield being provided with acontinuous, forwardly-directed name-diverting lip which tends tolocalize the flames and adds further protection against their spreadingto the tanks proper, or to other batteries of tanks.

A further object of the invention is to provide a re wall of the typereferred to, wherein the protruding heads of the battery of tanks areeach covered with a fire proof insulation which further reduces thesudden overheating of the tanks in the area Where ignition of escapingliuid is most likely to occur.

With the above and other objects in view which will appear as thedescription proceeds, my invention consists in the novel features hereinset forth, illustrated in the accompanying drawings, and moreparticularly pointed out in the appended claims.

Referring to the drawings in which numerals of like character designatesimilar parts throughout the several views,

Figure l is a perspective view of a portion of the nre wall, partly insection, and showing the heads of two tanks protruding therethrough.

Figure 2 is a top plan -view showing an entire installation on a Smallerscale.

Figure 3 is a View in side elevation, partly in section.

Figure 4 is a sectional View taken on line 4 4 of Figure 3.

Figure 5 is a fragmentary view showing a portion of the main fire wallor shield, with a tankreceiving opening, and

Figure 6 is a fragmentary View showing a portion of the rear tanksupport with its tank-receiving recesses.

The drawings represent a typical tank installation embodying theimproved re wall and consisting of a battery of horizontally-disposedtanks l, supported in laterally spaced relation by upright fore and aftfoundations. The rear foundation t is formed of poured reinforcedconcrete, preferably having an enlarged footing 9 beneath the surface ofthe ground, said foundation eX- tending transversely across the entirebattery of tanks. The upper edge of foundation i8 is provided with aseries of arcuate recesses it, spaced at suitable intervals to coincidewith the desired spacing of the tanks which are to be cradled in therecesses It, the height of the foundation being such as to maintain thetanks at the desired elevation above the surface of the ground.

The forward foundation l! is essentially of the same structure as therear foundation and has an underground footing l2. However, the upperend of foundation I l is extended vertically to form the main shield I3of the fire wall which, as will be seen from the drawings, may be ofslightly reduced thickness above the supporting foundation H. The shieldI3 is provided With a series of circular openings I4, transverselyspaced to coincide with the spacing of the recesses IIJ in the rearfoundation 8 and having radial dimensions to accommodate the forwardends r heads of respective tanks Preferably, the upper horizontal edgeof the shield I3 is thickened and extended forwardly at substantially45, to form an outwardly-directed flame-diverting lip or flange I5 forpurposes hereinafter described.

The opposite longitudinal extremities of the shield I3 terminate inforwardly-extending end wings I5, preferably arranged at right angleswith respect to the shield I3 and the top and free vertical edges ofthese wings are provided with continuations of the angularflame-diverting lipl indicated at Il and I8 respectively. Thus, theshield I3 and end wings I6, together, form. a three-sided enclosure forthe head ends of the' battery of tanks, with a continuous fire-divertinglip extended entirely around the free edges or boundaries of the rewall.

As before stated, the foundations 8 and II are preferably formed ofreinforced concrete and the nre wall, including the main shield portioni3 and the end wings I3, are formed of similar material. Because theiireproof or refractory characteristics of the re wall are essentialtothesuccessful functioning of the present invention, the crosshatchingon the drawings indicates a refractory material and in this connectionit may be stated that instead of being formed completely of reinforcedconcrete, the re wall may be composed of any suitable refractorymaterial. Furthermore, the foundation II per se, may be formed of reinfo1ced concrete and the re wall, including the main shield I3 and endwings I8, may be composed of suitable refractory bricks or the like.

As will be seen from Figures 3 and Il of the drawings, the head ends ofthe tanks 'l which protrude through the openings I4 in the shield I3,are covered with a suitable reproof insulation or coating I9 and withthe exception of tank relief valves 2G, all connections to the tanks arepreferably made through these insulated heads. In the form of theinvention illustrated, valved inlets and outlets 2l and 22 arerespectively connected by pipes 23 and 24, to supply and dischargeheaders 25 and 26. These headers extend transversely beneath the forwardends of the tanks 'l and are preferably supported in slightly elevatedposition by piping supports 21 which are formed integrally with theforward foundation II and its footing I2. These piping supports 2l arespaced so as to directly support the piping beneath each of the tanks ofthe battery.

With this arrangementA it will be noted that not only are the heads ofthe tanks and their inlet and outlet openings confined within theboundaries of a three-sided fire Wall, but all pip.- ing connections andheaders in the immediate vicinity of the tanks are thus confined. Themain shield portion I3 of the fire wall completely segregates allconnections and piping from the main bodies of the tanks l and as theseareas are the ones most likely to develop leaks, any fire resulting fromsuch leaks will be prevented from Contact with the tanks proper, atleast for a suicient period of time to permit adequate fire fightingequipment to be brought into play.

in the event of the ignition of any escaping fluid in the danger zonesurrounding the piping and connections, the flame-diverting lips I5, Il,and I3, will tend to direct the flames away from the battery of tanks soas to concentrate the same within the confined area bounded by the 4shield I3 and end wings I6. Thus, the extreme heat generated by such afire will be prevented from contacting the tanks and effecting adangerous increase in the pressure of the fluid stored therein.

From the foregoing it is believed that my invention may be readilyunderstood by those skilled in the art without further description, itbeing borne in mind that numerous changes may be made in the detailsdisclosed, without departing from the spirit of the invention as forthin the following claims.

I claim:

l. A nre wall and tank installation for above ground storage ofinflammable fiuids, compri.;- ing at least one horizontally disposedtank, located above the ground level, fore and aft foundations forsupporting opposite ends of said tank, the forward foundation beingformed of nre resistant material and extending vertically to form themain shield of a transverse fire wall, an opening in said` shieldembracing the forward end of tank and through which the head of thelatter protrudes, said shield extending radially in all directions,beyond the walls of said tank, the lateral extremities of said shieldterminating in forwardly-directed Wings of nre res tant material which,together with the shield, form a three-sided fire wall, the upper edgesof said main shield and wings being provided with a continuousforwardly-directed horizontal flamediverting lip having a free outeredge which over-lies the area immediately adjacent the inner boundariesof the fire wall, all of the inlet and outlet openings for said tank andtheir associated piping, being connected through the tank head andseparated from the body of the tank by said main shield, and a coatingof fireproof insulation covering said protruding head.

2. A fire wall and tank installation as claimed in claim l, includingcharging and discharging headers to which said inlet and outlet openingsand their associated piping are respectively connected, said inlet andoutlet openings, their associated piping, and the adjacent portions ofsaid headers being located within the confines of said three-sided rewall.

3. A combination above ground tank support and re wall, comprising asolid foundation member, the topV of which is recessed to provide atransverse cradle for the head end of a horizontal tank, said foundationbeing extended vertically to form a continuous nre wall of fireresistant material, an opening in said nre wall adapted to embrace theforward end of a tank restingin said cradle, so as to permit the head ofthe tankto protrude, said fire wall extending vertically and laterallybeyond the radial limitsof said opening and together with saidfoundation, providing a tank-encircling main shield, the lateralextremities of said main shield terminating in forwardly directed wingswhich together with said main shielddefine the boundaries of a fireretaining area around said tank head, and-an angularly disposed flamediverting lipfextending along the upper edge of at least said mainshield and directed into said fire retaining area.

4. The combination as claimed in claim 3, wherein the upper edges ofsaid forwardly directed wings are provided with name-diverting lipsforming oontinuations of the lip on said mainV shield.

5.- The combination as claimed in claim el including a continuousname-diverting lip which extends along the bounding edges of said mainshield and wings.

6. A re wall for tanks adapted to contain infiammable iiuids, comprisinga vertically disposed main shield of hre-resistant material, an openingin said shield adapted to embrace the forward end of a tank, so as topermit the head of the tank to protrude, said shield extendingvertically and laterally beyond the radial limits of said opening, thelateral extremities of said shield terminating in forwardly directedwings which together with said shield define the boundaries of afire-retaining area around said tank head, and an angularly disposedflame-diverting iip extending along the upper edge of at least said mainshield and directed into said re retaining area.

7. A re wall as claimed in claim 6 wherein said angularly disposed lipis continued around the bounding edges of said wings.

8. A combination above ground tank support and fire wall, comprising asolid foundation member, the top of which is provided with a series ofrecesses forming transverse cradles for the head ends of a correspondingseries of horizontal tanks, said foundation being extended vertically toform a continuous ire wall of rire resistant material, a series ofopenings in said re wall adapted to embrace the forward ends ofrespective tanks resting in said cradles, so as to permit the heads ofsaid tanks to protrude, said fire wall projecting vertically beyond theradial limits of said openings and laterally in both directions, beyondthe outermost of said series of openings, and together with saidfoundation, providing an encircling main shield for each of said tanks,the lateral extremities of said main shield terminating in forwardlydirected wings which together with said main shield dene the boundariesof a re resistant area around said tank heads, and an angularly disposeddame-diverting lip extending along the upper edge of at least said mainshield and directed into said iire retaining area.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS NumberName Date 936,723 Hutchinson Oct. 12, 1909 1,162,572 Clark Nov. 30, 19151,394,969 Colven Oct. 25, 1921 1,421,454 Glessner July 4, 1922 1,612,596Marks Dec. 28, 1926 1,818,723 Lindemann Aug. 11, 1931 2,600,015McLaughlin June 10, 1952

